


Blood Moon

by lastmouseleft



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Wolves, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:15:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23163859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lastmouseleft/pseuds/lastmouseleft
Summary: Alderaan is perishing. The woods that surround the city are now haunted by bloodthirsty creatures.Rey decides to go on a desperate mission to find help, but when she faces the most ruthless of thebeasts, she discovers that, deep in the woods, there are still many secrets to be unveiled.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 14
Kudos: 86
Collections: Reylo Charity Anthology: Volume 2





	1. Chapter 1

No one comes back from the woods. Not anymore. Not since _they_ ’ve appeared. 

Rey’s heartbeat quickens with every step she takes towards the gates of the castle. She senses them watching her. Their silence is overwhelming. She knows what they’re thinking—that she’s mad, that there’s no chance in hell she’ll come back alive. She reckons that they despise her for even trying when they’re all resigned to their fate. 

But one glance at their haggard faces and she realizes that she can’t blame them for losing hope. 

They have been trapped here, inside the castle, for almost a year. Most of them had to abandon their farms, their cattle, all of their possessions as they fled from the danger in the woods. Fortunately, their princess had opened the gates of her castle, offering them refuge and at first, they had hope. They truly believed that it would only be temporary, that before long, the woods would be reconquered and they would be able to return safely to their homes. But as time passed and the woods proved that they would claim every man who braved them, hope dwindled. As did the food supplies. 

Rey knows that there isn’t enough left in the castle’s reserves to sustain all these people for much longer. As one of the few people left in Alderaan who could read and count, she has been assisting Princess Leia with the inventory. 

A year ago, Rey wouldn’t have dreamed of setting foot inside the castle. She was the apprentice of the blacksmith, Unkar Plutt. She didn’t have a family name and her face was constantly covered in soot. And although the magnificent weapons she endeavored to make often ended up at the belts of the gentry, she knew she would never be allowed to approach them. But the misfortune that befell Alderaan disrupted everything and so Rey, against all odds, found herself at the princess’ side. 

Indeed, Rey had become such a reliable ally that when earlier that week she announced to Leia that she intended to leave the castle and look for help, the old princess’ eyes uncharacteristically shimmered with tears. 

“Is there any way I can change your mind?” Leia asked in an even voice that still managed to betray her dismay. 

It seemed clear that she already knew the answer. Still Rey replied, “I have to try.” 

The princess raised her chin. “What makes you think you would succeed where so many before you have failed?” 

Rey flinched. Perhaps it was arrogant of her to expect that her fate would be any different from that of all the brave men who had preceded her, but she felt that she owed to the princess, to Alderaan and its people, to do something. 

Rey grabbed the weapon she had been carrying on her back and presented it with both hands to Leia. “I have this!” 

The princess quirked an eyebrow. “A rifle?”

The young woman nodded. The weapon was of her making. She had been working on it for a couple of years, copying a model Unkar Plutt had provided. Back then, he’d thought he would make a fortune out of it. However, he didn’t stay alive long enough to witness his apprentice successfully master its intricacies. 

Princess Leia took the weapon from Rey and weighed it in her hands. “You think you can fight _them_ with this?”

“I think I have a chance, My Lady.” 

A flicker of hope reignited in the princess’ eyes, and Rey knew she was doing the right thing. Before Rey left, the princess gifted her finely crafted dagger and a white hooded cape. But no gift was as precious as Leia’s embrace. 

“May the gods protect you,” the old princess whispered as she tenderly held Rey between her arms. 

If they existed, the gods had clearly forgotten about Alderaan. And yet, when the gates open before her, Rey suddenly wants to pray to something, anything, in the hopes that it might give her strength. The sight of the woods ahead of her fills her with a terror the likes of which she hasn’t known since she was a helpless child, surviving on her own in the streets. Drawing a deep breath, she steps on the drawbridge. The clanging of the gates is louder than she'd expected as they shut it behind her. 

Rey doesn’t look back. She pulls her scarf over her mouth and covers her head with the hood. Her hand instinctively goes to the hilt of the dagger at her belt. The feel of the cold metal, as well as the weight of the rifle on her back, reassures her. Her weapons are her only allies and she trusts that they won’t fail her. 

“I can do this. I can do this,” she whispers to herself as she walks towards the woods. But before she goes in, she pauses. 

Rey used to love coming here. The woods were a haven where she was allowed to forget about the rigors of the forges, hunting and picking mushrooms and berries to her heart’s delight. Even now, she can’t help finding them enchanting. The thought spurs her forward. Although a year without human presence has made the trees grow wild, she hopes she still knows the woods enough and that it will play to her advantage. 

Carefully, she makes her way through the trees, avoiding the footpaths that she can still distinguish from under fresh layers of grass. Her steps barely disturb the unsettling silence. She sees no animals. 

_They must have fled, just like the humans_ , she wants to believe, but it seems more likely that most have been devoured. The realization sends a shiver through her spine.

 _All I have to do is cross these woods_ , she reminds herself. 

With a bit of luck, she will do it without being noticed. Despite the dread that they inspire, there is still a part of her that wishes for an opportunity to confront them, to make them pay. 

A sudden noise startles her and she freezes, reaching for her rifle. She doesn’t see anything. She waits, listening carefully for the slightest sound. When she becomes convinced that she’s alone, she releases her grasp from around her weapon and resumes her progress. There is no shaking off the feeling of imminent danger however and she starts to believe that her wish might actually soon come true. 

Rey walks for a while, her senses alert. Somehow, the sound of her breath starts to sound too loud to her own ears. It makes her nervous. She tries to steady herself, inhaling and exhaling deeply, but when she spots _it_ , she completely loses the ability to breathe. 

Her eyes widen in horror as she stares at the dark shadow between the trees. It is too far for her to really distinguish its form, but she is already certain of what it is. The sight of it coming towards her knocks her back to reality.

_This is it!_

Her legs react quickly, carrying her to the nearest tree, which she climbs as fast as she can. She settles on a branch and watches as it approaches, its menacing growl already reaching her ears.

 _No time to panic_ , she chides herself as she takes her rifle in her trembling hands. She takes a deep breath, arms her weapon and takes aim then waits for it to come closer. 

Rey has heard many descriptions from people who’ve had a glimpse of them from the castle walls, yet she’s still shocked by its sheer size and ferocity. It looks like a giant wolf yet there is something undeniably demonic about it. Its fur is dark as night, its eyes crimson red, and the young woman could swear that the earth is shaking under its feet as it rushes towards her. 

A scream wants to claw its way up Rey’s throat, but she pushes it down. Her thumb is on the trigger of her rifle and she counts to steady her nerves. Finally, when she’s confident it’s in her reach, she fires. 

To her dismay, the creature dodges the bullet as though it predicted the shot. 

_It can’t be!_ Her jaw goes slack. 

She has barely time to brace herself before the beast hits the trunk with full force, nearly dislodging her. Quickly, the young woman reaches inside her satchel to produce a small bag of powder that she tries to pour inside the barrel of the rifle, her hands shaking. She glances down at the wolf that is now clawing at the tree, tearing off its bark. It seems so big that she fears it might actually reach her and bite off one of her legs. 

Rey takes aim once again. The beast suddenly stops moving and stares at her, as if taunting her. That enrages her and she bares her teeth as she prepares to fire at it. 

The wolf bounces. Its mouth closes around the barrel of the gun and tears the weapon off the young woman’s hands. 

“No!” she screams as she unsuccessfully tries to catch it. She’s doomed without it and she doesn’t even think before she jumps after it to the ground. 

The beast throws the rifle away and attacks, baring its horrendous fangs. Rey dives sideways, avoiding its bite. She finds herself on the ground and, spotting the rifle nearby, she crawls towards it. As soon as she touches it, the wolf pounces on her. She turns just in time for its teeth to close around the rifle instead of her neck. 

The beast’s enormous head hovers above Rey’s face, pushing, gowling, its snout wrinkled, its eyes wild with rage. Rey’s arms shake uncontrollably as she tries to resist but her assailant is far too strong. She whines in frustration. If only there was a way she could reach for her dagger, but she can’t let go of the rifle. 

The wolf is unrelenting, pressing until Rey could feel its damp breath on her face. She looks deep into its eyes, driven by a strange need to understand its true nature before it devours her. 

The beast twitches its nose, its eyes glimmering with something akin to recognition. 

For a split second it hesitates, just enough for Rey to grab her dragger and slice the creature’s face. Blood splatters her cape as the wolf screeches with pain. 

And she is on her feet, running with both her weapons in her hands. She doesn’t need to turn around to know that she’s being chased. And as she runs, the rhythm of her pulse drumming in her ears turns into a sinister countdown to the inevitable moment when the wolf would catch her. 

When she spots a ravine right ahead, Rey finally sees a chance to lose her pursuer. She speeds up then jumps over the chasm, landing on the other side. She doesn’t even have the time to steady herself before the giant wolf leaps next to her.

Rey tumbles down the ravine. Branches and rocks bruise and scrape her skin and she lets out a yell before she lands with a thud on her back, her leg twisted in an unnatural angle, unable to move. She stares at the twilight sky above her. 

_It can’t end like this_ , is her last thought before everything goes dark. 


	2. Chapter 2

When Rey opens her eyes, she is surprised to be still alive. 

Instead of the sky, there’s now a roof above her. She hears a noise and when she tries to move, she finds that her whole body aches, horribly. She sucks in a breath and with great effort, she manages to roll on her side, realizing in the process that she’s lying on a bed. 

Through a small window, she sees that it is dark outside and apart for a ray of moonlight and a small hearth, there isn’t enough light for her eyes to properly distinguish her surroundings. But she’s still able to see that she’s in a small hut and that she’s not alone. 

At the other side of the room, there is a figure hidden in the dark and Rey’s heart beats faster in her chest as she thinks that it’s the wolf. But she realizes that the form has more of a human shape. 

“Who are you?” Her voice sounds frail but it still catches the attention of the stranger haunched in the corner.

The mysterious silhouette rises to its full height then steps forward. Rey sees that it’s a hulking man but is still unable to see his face as he stands shy of the ray of moonlight. 

“What happened? How did I get here?” she asks, but again he doesn’t reply. 

Rey finds his silence unsettling and grows agitated. In an attempt to stand, she pushes on her hands, but when she tries to move her legs, there’s a stabbing pain so intense that tears well in her eyes. 

“Don’t move.”Although commanding, his voice sounds soft. Almost caring. 

Rey gasps when she looks down at her left foot and sees how swollen it is. 

“You’ve twisted your ankle,” the stranger points out. “I don’t think you’ll be able to walk back to Alderaan in this state.” 

Hearing her town’s name, Rey’s head snaps up. “Are you from Alderaan?”

Once more, he ignores her question. “You’ll have to stay here.”

She sees him walking towards the door. 

“What are you doing?” she reacts, thinking that the beast might be lurking outside. 

“There is food here, but I need to get you some water.”

“The wolf,” she warns. 

There is a short silence, then he says, “You don’t have to worry about the wolf. For now.” 

He doesn’t elaborate further before he goes out. A few minutes go by during which Rey tries to comprehend what the stranger told her, but she can’t think properly. She’s too disoriented. 

When he reappears, she starts. He drags a small barrel inside and Rey finally has a quick glimpse at his face. It is emaciated, framed by long, raven hair. An equally dark beard covers his chin. Her eyebrows draw together. Oddly, she feels like she has seen this face before. 

“You’ll have to be careful. This water has to last until the next full moon,” he instructs. 

“The full moon? Why?”

“You’ll have to barricade the door and under no circumstance should you go outside.” 

“Stop!” Rey feels like she’s losing her mind. “Tell me! What’s going on?”

The stranger hesitates then he slowly steps forward so the light from the window can fully illuminate him. 

“Oh!” She can barely believe her eyes. “My lord! You are alive!”

A feeling of pure relief washes over her and she laughs, something she’s done so little lately that it surprises her. She finds that she wants to jump out of bed and take him between her arms, but even if she were physically able to, she knows that it would be unacceptable, for she can’t forget that she’s a commoner and he, a prince. 

Her smile slowly fades when she notices that the prince is injured. “Your face!” 

He quickly covers with his hand the fresh wound that runs across his cheek to his forehead. “It’s nothing.” 

She’s about to ask him again about what happened when she sees him nervously staring at the sky through the window. 

“We haven’t much time!” he tells her cryptically. 

Rey incredulously watches him as he sets on barricading the window with wooden boards. When he’s done, he comes to sit at the end of the bed and reaches for her sprained ankle. She instinctively recoils, but he is unfazed and he delicately lifts her foot up. It sends heat to her cheeks and she’s grateful he couldn’t notice it in the dark. 

“Is it very painful?” he asks, carefully pressing a finger to her flesh. She winces in reaction, then nods. 

“Try to move as little as you can, at least during the first few days.” He gets up then, to Rey’s astonishment, he bends over, slips his arms under her and lifts her up from the bed. 

The flush spreads to her ears and she avoids looking up at his face as he carries her in his arms. All these years that she’s been observing him from afar, she’d never hoped she’d be able to get this close to him, to experience his embrace. 

As they reach the door, he helps her get down and stand on her good leg while she clings to his shoulders. 

Rey meets the prince’s eyes and catches a glimpse of sadness. 

“My lord,” she says, softly, “why didn’t you come back to Alderaan?” 

He sighs then his lips tremble, as if he is afraid to say the following words. “Tell me. Is my mother alive?”

“Yes.” 

Rey’s quick reply briefly brightens his features, though it’s soon followed by a grimace that looks like he’s in pain. “I have to go. Now! “

“You’re leaving!” The news comes as a shock to Rey. She wants to protest but he doesn’t give her the opportunity. 

“You’ll have to barricade the door after I leave,” the prince picks up the board that was leaning on the wall then shoves it in her hands, his good manners replaced by a sense of urgency.

As he opens the door and steps out, Rey grabs the back of his tattered tunic. “Wait!”

He stops and doesn’t move for an unnervingly long moment before he slowly turns around, revealing a pair of red eyes. 

She gasps and lets go of him. Her horrified eyes witness as he doubles over and bares a set of teeth that looks too big for his mouth. Fur bursts out of his skin like grass from the earth and his clothes tear at the seams as he grows in size. 

“Shut the door!” It comes out like a whine, his voice no longer human. 

Rey screams in horror and closes the door, just before the transformed prince can pounce on her. She feels the full force of his body hitting the door as she desperately leans on it. She struggles to barricade it as the wolf keeps ramming, clawing at it, his menacing growls echoing in her ears. When she finally succeeds, Rey hops towards the other end of the hut, then cowers. She didn’t notice when she has started crying, but her cheeks are now drenched with tears. 

By the time the wolf finally gives up, Rey is hugging her legs, her head resting on her knees. She thinks of the day, more than a year ago, when the people of Alderaan gathered inside the walls that surrounded the castle to cheer their prince and his men as they were leaving in their quest to defeat the sorcerer Snoke. Rey was among the crowd and she remembers how elated she felt when she saw Ben Solo passing by on his horse. He was carrying the sword she’d made for him, although he probably wasn’t aware. She hoped that it would bring him luck, that he would return victorious, but he never did. When she became convinced that he had died, her heart broke and she’d blamed herself for not making him a better weapon. 

Right now, Rey wonders if it wouldn’t have been better if he were dead. 

After the wolves had appeared in the woods, rumors started circulating that it was a curse that Snoke had cast on Alderaan for challenging him, but no one has suspected the extent of his cruelty. No one has imagined that their own prince had been transformed into a demon. 

Sobs well up in Rey’s throat, but she finds that she has no more tears to cry. She raises her head and examines the hut, now fully illuminated by the rays of sunlight coming in through the cracks of the barricaded window. 

In addition to the small bed, there’s a table—on top of which she notices her satchel and weapons—a chair, a large pot, and a small pile of cut wood next to the hearth. She recognizes the barrel of water the prince has brought in earlier and spots a series of jars against the wall. She drags herself towards them, too weak to stand up. On her way, she throws a piece of wood to rekindle the dying fire. 

Just like the prince has said, there is food inside the jars. She finds some oatmeal, dried vegetables and even salted meat. She wonders if the prince has provided all this or if it was already here before he found the hut. 

_ Who used to live here? What happened to them? _ She prefers not to think too much about it. 

Rey cups water in her hand and drinks, but not enough to quench her thirst. She remembers the prince’s instructions. According to what he said, she has to make her provisions last for a month. 

_ Until the next full moon _ were his exact words. 

“The full moon,” she whispers. 

_ Is that when he turns back to his normal form? _ Rey becomes convinced it is the case the more she thinks about it. 

She spends the rest of the day laying on the bed. She doesn’t eat. The pain in her leg torments her, her mind is racing with terrible memories and she thinks she will never be able to sleep, but eventually she mercifully falls into a deep slumber. 

Ben Solo appears to her in her dreams. She is working in the forge when she hears his voice. Peeking through the door, she sees him in the shop, talking to Unkar Plutt. The prince examines one of her blades. He whips it through the air, startling the blacksmith who lets out a nervous laugh. 

“Truly magnificent,” the prince comments. 

“You honor me, Sire,” the blacksmith replies, obsequiously. He’s taking the credit, yet Rey’s heart swells with pride. She smiles, thinking that even if she can’t, something that she has crafted with her hands will be allowed to be by the prince’s side. 

She is distracted when she hears a grunt coming from behind her. Terrified, she still forces herself to turn her head around and look. The wolf is there, bigger than he is in reality, so big that his body fills the forges. He stares at her and his mouth splits into what looks like a sneer. 

Rey wakes up with a scream, her forehead covered in cold sweat. She rolls on her side and wraps the hooded cape around her, rocking herself back to sleep.

The next morning, she feels stronger. Ignoring the prince’s advice to avoid moving, she leaves the bed. Hopping on one leg, she reaches her satchel on the table and retrieves a bag full of dried nuts. She makes quick work of it, realizing how hungry she actually is, then she takes out her cup. It proves quite the useful tool when she sets on preparing a pot of gruel. 

While the food is cooking, Rey examines every corner of the hut. Under the bed, she discovers a bundle of dusty clothes and, surprisingly, a book. When she opens it, she finds out that it’s actually a notebook. A diary, to be precise. It feels like an intrusion to read it but she still flips through it until she reaches the last written page. The handwriting on it is different from the rest. It’s chaotic, frenzied and the same words are repeated over and over again: 

_ What have I done? _

Rey’s lips quiver, understanding who the diary belongs to. She closes it and presses it to her chest. Even though she knows what he’s become, what he’s probably done, she still has enough compassion in her heart for the prince.

The next day, Rey starts to feel the boredom settle in. She’s always been active by nature and struggles to bear such idleness. Now that she’s grown used to moving around without using her left foot, she wonders if she could risk going out of the hut, even for a little bit. When she looks through the window however, she discovers that the wolf is actually outside, watching from behind the trees. 

Rey gasps and instinctively moves away from the window before he can see her. 

_ Has he been here all this time? _ The thought makes her shiver. She realizes that she’s effectively trapped in the hut. 

A few days pass. Rey is preparing another pot of gruel. She’s standing on both feet. The left one is no longer swollen but it still hurts when she leans on it.

To occupy her time, she has been reading the prince’s diary. It has revealed little of his character though, apart from an interest in politics, strategy and an obvious fixation on glory. Twice, she’s thought she could no longer bear knowing that the wolf was waiting outside and she’s tried to shoot it through the window. On both occasions however, she could not pull the trigger. 

As she tastes the food to see if it’s cooked, she hears something hitting the door. She goes to the window and looks through the boards. She’s surprised to see the wolf running away from the hut then disappearing behind the trees. 

_ This is a trap _ . It seems obvious yet she finds herself irresistibly tempted to open the door and have a look. 

After a long deliberation, Rey decides to do it. On the other side of the door, she’s baffled to find a dead hare. As quickly as she can, she picks it up and barricades the door again. 

For a long moment, she stares, confused, at the animal in her hand. She’s assumed that there were none left in the woods. Besides, she struggles to comprehend why the wolf would leave it there for her. 

_ Is this a bait? A gift? _

If in fact, he is genuinely trying to help, then it raises more questions. Until now, Rey was under the impression that in his wolf form, the prince wasn’t aware of who she was, that his mind was that of an animal, guided only by instinct. She thought that all he sought was to tear her apart. Clearly, this offering complicates everything. 

Later, while she is skinning the hare with her dagger, a memory comes back to her. While she was fighting the wolf, that first day in the woods, he has seemed to recognize her for a moment. Maybe it was because he remembered her face. Or her smell. 

Rey sniffs her tunic then turns around, toward the hooded cap she’s removed and left on the bed. 

_ Of course! _ It was a gift from Princess Leia. The wolf must have detected the scent of his mother. 

With this new acquired knowledge, Rey ponders if she could use it to her advantage. 

_ If I wear the hood and try to go out, would he attack me? _

What Rey forgets is that there is more than one wolf in the woods. 

The following morning, she’s reminded of it when she is awakened by a scratching noise coming from outside. At first, she thinks that the dark wolf is back, but when she goes to have a look through the window, she discovers that there are three wolves, of gray fur, circling around the hut. One of them notices her and in no time, all their demeanors turn ferocious and they start clawing and slamming at the door to get inside. 

Swiftly, Rey goes to pick up her dagger. As the wolves intensify their assault, she stands in the middle of the hut, weapon in hand, ready to face them if they get in, even if she knows that she wouldn't stand much chance against the three of them. The door squeaks and when she thinks that they are about to burst in, she hears a loud thump followed by a whine. 

She runs back to the window and sees the dark wolf fighting the other three. He bites one by the neck, claws the muzzle of another then rams into the third, throwing him to the ground. When they’re all back on their feet, the gray wolves look terrified, their ears down and tails between their legs. Still, they retaliate. At once, they thrown themselves at him, sinking their claws in his back. He manages to shake them off, but Rey can see blood tainting his black fur. 

The fight continues but she can no longer watch idly. She knows that if she does nothing, the dark wolf will die and the other three will come after her again. She slides her dagger under her belt, picks up her rifle then slips the barrel between the wooden boards that cover the window. But, the wolves keep moving and she struggles to find the right angle for the shot. She scrunches up her face, knowing that she has no choice but to fire through the open door. 

Rey takes a few seconds to gather her courage before she opens the door. Quickly, before they can notice her, she takes aim and fires at one of the gray wolves. He utters a little scream when the bullets hits him then collapses on the ground. His two companions look bewildered at his motionless body then they turn towards Rey, a murderous look in their eyes. The first seems barely able to move but the other rushes towards her. 

The dark wolf catches him, biting him in the leg. The gray wolf manages to free himself from his enemy’s jaw and they face each other, both panting and covered in blood. After a while, the gray wolf finally hobbles away, dragging his injured leg, followed by his companion who is in no better shape, then they both disappear behind the trees. 

With them gone, the dark wolf’s attention goes to Rey. He grunts at her menacingly, but the young woman, instead of shutting the door, steps outside, dagger withdrawn. 

The beast and Rey start circling each other, seemingly sharing a common desire to just end it. It soon becomes clear that the wolf is no longer in a state to fight. Blood is coming out of his mouth and his legs are shaking. He takes a couple of steps forward then collapses, still he continues to growl. Eventually, he closes his eyes and his head falls to the side as he loses consciousness. 

Rey lowers her dagger. It would be easy for her to finish him. Or she could just walk away and leave him to agonize or be eaten by the other wolves. Yet somehow, she can’t make herself forget who he really is or how she feels about him. 

What she does next, she knows, is pure madness. She seizes one of his legs and drags his enormous body inside the hut. Then, hurriedly, before he wakes up, she uses her blade to make straps out of her satchel so she can bind his mouth and tie his legs together, hoping that they will be strong enough.

When he comes to, Rey is sitting at the other side of the hut, hooded cape on, her rifle charged and pointed at him. As she has expected, he starts thrashing wildly against his binds but fortunately enough, he is too weakened to get himself free. Still, she keeps her weapon on him until she makes sure that he’s spent all that is left of his strength and is unable to hurt her. 

“I don’t know if you can understand me…” Rey swallows. It feels so odd to be talking to a beast. “But you must know that I’m your only hope. Without me, you’ll die.” 

Panting, he fixes his red eyes on her. 

“I have to clean your wounds.” She stands up, uncoils the scarf from around her neck then soaks it in what little water is left in the barrel. 

Warily, she approaches the wolf. He flails about, grunting, and she freezes until he again settles down. As she applies the wet cloth to a cut, he has a spasm, but doesn’t react any further, either because he is aware of what she’s doing or because he has no force left in him. 

Once she thinks the wolf’s wounds sufficiently clean, Rey goes back to her place at the other side of the room. She doesn’t allow herself to sleep and spends the night watching him like a hawk. 

In the morning, however, when she realizes that he isn’t getting better, she becomes worried. 

_ Maybe he needs to eat _ . 

There is a bit left of the hare he’s brought her. She tears a generous portion of the meat off the bones and throws it towards the wolf’s mouth, but he doesn’t move to catch it. 

“Come on!” She picks it up then, offers it to him in her hand. His nose twitches, but he does nothing more. She gets closer, and although she’s aware of the danger, she grabs his head and forces his mouth open, as wide as the bind allows it, then she slips the meat between his teeth. His jaw almost closes around her fingers before she withdraws her hand.

He looks at her as he swallows the food. It isn’t exactly gratitude in his gaze, but it’s close.


	3. Chapter 3

After a couple of days, the wolf really seems to be getting better and Rey begins to worry about what would happen when he regains all his strength. He seems to tolerate her approaching him and touching him, but she remains aware that he is still a savage creature that could turn against her at any moment. 

And it’s not her only problem. She’s out of water and has to suck on a pebble to cheat her thirst. 

Her concerns are so many that she doesn’t realize that she’s lost track of time and that a month has passed since she’s entered the woods. 

She’s sleeping in the bed when she feels something moving nearby. Her blade is in her hand before she even opens her eyes. She expects the wolf, but instead finds the prince crouched next to her, reaching for something under the bed, completely naked. She turns crimson and jumps out of the bed, her back towards him. 

“Forgive me. I didn't mean to wake you.” Hearing his voice again makes her heart flutter. 

“My prince, are you alright?” she asks, shyly. 

“Thanks to you.” 

Biting her lower lip, she discreetly looks over her shoulder and sees him putting on a pair of trousers. The prince seems skinnier than he used to be, his bones clearly visible under his skin, but his muscles are taut. He catches her peeping and she quickly diverts her gaze.

Soon, he taps at her shoulder and she turns around to find him fully clothed. He’s wearing rags that somehow look at once too small and too big for him. She guesses that they belonged to whomever used to live in the hut. 

“We have to go.” He helps her gather her belongings then opens the door. 

“Where to?” she inquires as she follows him out. 

“To Alderaan.” 

“I was supposed to go get help.”

“There isn't enough time.” 

He goes around the hut and Rey discovers that there’s a small well behind it. She scoffs. If only she’d known. 

The prince uses a bucket to draw water then invites Rey to drink first. She guzzles so much liquid, her stomach hurts. When it’s his turn to drink, she reckons that he looks far more dignified than she did. Even disheveled and in taters, there is no denying the elegance of his movement, the dignity of his stance. 

Once their thirst quenched, they set on their journey. He walks in front of her and for awhile, they remain silent. Rey feels strangely intimidated by the prince and she has to gather her courage to finally ask, “My Lord, please tell me! What happened to you?” 

He doesn’t reply right away and she thinks that she has offended him, but he soon reveals, “We’ve been cursed, my men and I, by Snoke. He’s turned us into beasts. Only the full moon can show our true nature.” 

She’s figured out as much, yet his words stir in her a vengeful anger at the cruel sorcerer. 

“Do you know if there’s a way to break the curse?” 

The prince shakes his head. 

Rey frowns. “Perhaps when we'll get to Alderaan…”

“I’m not going back to Alderaan. I’m just getting you there”

“Why not?”

“I can’t. It’s too late for me.”

The resignation in his voice revolts her. “It’s never too late!” the words are barely out of her mouth when he signals at her to stop. 

For a tense moment, they both wait, motionless, scanning their surroundings for any sound or movement. 

“Ben Solo!” Rey is startled to hear a voice calling. 

A man appears from behind a tree. She recognizes him. He’s called Hux and was the prince’s right arm. Apparently not anymore. 

As he walks forward, the moon illuminates Hux’s figure completely and Rey notices that his usually ginger hair has turned completely gray. 

“This girl has killed one of us.” He points at her. 

As if on cue, half a dozen other men emerge from the dark. Their eyes shimmer with hate as they close around the prince and Rey. 

He steps in front of her, shielding her. “He was intruding on my territory.”

“Only because he was attracted by the smell of a human,” Hux argues. 

“He had no claim to what is under my protection.”

“You still think you have the right to command us?” 

“I just want you to let us pass.” 

“How easy it is for you, Ben Solo, to betray your own kind.”

These words seem to unexpectedly affect the prince. Rey notices how his shoulders sag, as if in shame.

“Just let us pass,” he pleads.

A scowl twists Hux’s features. “So you can go where? To Alderaan? You know what will happen, don’t you? She’ll reveal our secret and the next full moon, they’ll come and kill us all!”

“Maybe it’s for the best.”

The prince’s words send a wave of shock and indignation through the crowd. One man scurries towards him screaming. He tries to lend a hit but the prince easily dodges it and knocks his opponent over. 

Seeing their companion down, the rest of men attack at once and Rey and the prince stand back to back, bracing themselves for the fight. She has just enough time to slip the dagger in his hand and aware that she won’t be able to fire at them, she holds her rifle upside down, turning it into a makeshift club. 

The number of their enemies is overwhelming, yet Rey and the prince stand their ground. Relentlessly, they hit, they cut, they scratch, they kick. They take hit after hit, but they ignore the pain and keep on fighting like savages. After a while, the men end up just standing around them, panting, none daring to approach them again. 

The prince looks at Hux who has been observing the fight without taking part. “Let us through.”

“Never!” Hux’s screams, emotion making his whole body shake. The intensity of his outrage seems to invigorate his companions and it looks like they’re about to attack again.

Rey glances at the prince. His breathing is labored, sweat pearls on his furrowed brow. There's a sickly pallor to his skin and she realizes that he hasn't fully recovered from his injuries. She fears that he won’t be able to continue the fight for much longer. 

“Stop, please,” she shouts to her opponents. “I won’t go back to Alderaan.” 

“Rey!” 

She snaps her head towards the prince, awed that he actually knows her name. 

“Let us just go back to the hut,” she continues, addressing Hux specifically. 

“Why would I believe you? You’ve murdered one of ours.” 

Rey wants to argue that she’d done it in self-defence, that despite what she’s felt about the wolves at first, when she came to the woods, she doesn’t want them to die, not if there’s another way to save her people. Instead, she just tells him, “I give you my word!”

“You word...” There is no hiding the scorn in Hux’s tone, yet he seems to consider her offer. 

With a gesture of his head, he orders his companions to open the circle and allow Rey and the prince to withdraw. 

They both run and when he’s out of breath, he stops then turns to confront her, “Why did you do that?”

Indignant, she counters with her own question, “Do you really want to die?” 

He blinks, then he lowers his eyes in exasperating expression of surrender that fills Rey’s eyes with tears of resentment. “You were leading me to Alderaan, thinking I would betray you?” 

“I trusted you would make the right decision to save Alderaan.”

“There must be another way!” she clenches his fists, outraged by every word he says. 

“There isn’t.” 

“I’ll find one.”

“Rey…” he shakes his head. 

“You don’t have to die.” 

Anger twist his features and he starts speaking to her louder and faster than he’s ever had, “You don’t know what I have done, how many people I have slaughtered. You don’t know how it feels to be a prisoner of your own body, to be forced to watch, powerless, while you’re doing all those horrible things, unable to stop yourself.” 

The words come out of her lips before she can stop them. “I can’t lose you again!”

Rey’s whole body shakes with a violent sob. This isn’t the right time nor place to reveal her feelings. In fact, she’s always considered them so silly, so improper, she’s intended to keep them secret, forever. 

Mortified, she looks away, no longer able to bear his astonished expression. 

When she feels his arms circle around her, she gasps. He presses her head against his chest and caresses her hair, trying to soothe her. She lets out a sigh. 

Rey looks up at the prince’s face. She sees the moon reflected in his beautiful dark eyes. Slowly, she reaches with shaking fingers to touch the wound on his cheek. She feels she can’t forgive herself for hurting him, but he leans in her touch, as if to tell her that he doesn’t blame her. 

“You really know who I am?”

“Yes.” He grabs her wrist and brings her hand to his lips to place a small kiss in her palm. “You are Rey.” 

Everytime she hears him say her name, in that deep voice of his, it sounds like an incantation. As if mesmerized, she feels herself irrevocably attracted to his lips and she lifts herself on her tiptoes to press her mouth to his. 

She fears that he’ll push her away, but as he slips his fingers through her hair and deepens their kiss, joy blooms in her chest. She’s imagined this moment so many times, wondered how his lips would taste, how they would feel like. Never did she expect them to be this delectable, this soft. 

Her heart is pounding wildly and her cheeks are burning red when their lips part. He presses their foreheads together. 

“I want to help you,” she tells him. 

The prince is quiet. He just squeezes her fingers gently. 

“We’ll go to the sorcerer,” she adds. “We’ll make him lift the curse.” 

He kisses her again and this time, it is less tender. Flames spread through her being as he licks and bites at her lips. Maybe despite the full moon, he still has some of the wolf in him. The idea of that is at once frightening and exhilarating. 

The prince holds Rey’s hand and leads her back to the hut. The hearth has gone out while they were away and he takes a moment to relight it as she watches timidly from the bed. He seems just as nervous once he comes to settle next to her. Slowly, he draws nearer then he cups her cheek and starts kissing her neck. 

A sound comes out of Rey’s mouth she hasn’t heard before—a moan of utter delight. It emboldens him and his hand drops to pull her tunic off. Soon, they are lying on the bed, their mouths and hands roaming their bare bodies. 

“I want you,” he says in her ear. 

“Yes,” she breathes. 

She straddles him and as they make love, she dreads the moment it will end. She knows that once the moon sets, he’ll be gone and she will no longer be able to feel his touch, to taste his skin. Over and over, she kisses him because she wants the memory of his lips imprinted in her mind. And he seems to understand as he keeps caressing her face fondly while he lets her do whatever she wants to him. 

As the night continues, the prince grows more assertive, though he handles Rey as if she were the most precious thing in the world. She notices the way he looks at her, like she’s luminous, like she’s the moon itself. 

Rey opens her eyes without remembering when she’d fallen asleep. Next to her is a dark wolf, but she’s unafraid. She draws closer to him and feels his soft fur against her skin. A tear runs down her cheek and she whispers, “I promise I’ll save you. I’ll set you free.” 

Later, the wolf is sitting quietly at the corner, like a well-behaved dog, while Rey prepares some food. His impressive mass seems to fill half the space of the hut but she no longer finds him intimidating. She trusts him. If he meant any harm, he would have attacked her in her sleep. 

It makes her smile when she throws him some rehydrated meat and he eagerly catches it mid-air. 

After she finishes eating, she puts on her cape and gathers her weapons. She’s decided to journey to the mountains where she’s heard the sorcerer Snoke dwells. Before she leaves, she crouches down to scratch the wolf under his chin. He seems pleased at the way he stretches his neck forward. 

“I’m going now. I hope we’ll meet again soon.” Rey has always hated goodbyes so she doesn’t linger. 

She comes out of the hut and he follows her. He keeps walking behind her, only stopping when she turns to face him. “Do you want to come with me?”

The wolf just stares at her while sitting on his hind legs. She doesn’t know how to reason with him so she decides to let him follow her. 

The woods are quiet around them. The trees are so dense that Rey can’t really see the sky, but she tries to orient herself as well as she could. She’s relieved to know that she’s going in the right direction when she hears the faint sound of flowing water. There is a river that runs through the woods and has its source in the mountain and Rey believes she’ll simply have to follow it to reach her destination. Part of her knows better however than to assume things to be simple in this place. 

It comes as no surprise to her when her companion starts growling. In fact, she’s expected to see the wolves appear much sooner. They show themselves at once, this time their attack better coordinated than when their companions assaulted the hut. There are seven of them and not enough bullets left for Rey’s rifle to take them all down. 

She braces herself for the fight, but suddenly feels the black wolf nudging her leg. He lowers his head at her, inviting her to get on his back. She doesn’t hesitate. The moment she straddles him, he dashes off. He’s so fast she has to clutch his fur to avoid falling. 

When Rey looks over her shoulder, she sees that the other wolves are gaining on them. She only grows more alarmed when she sees that the dark wolf is heading for the river. 

“Don’t go this way! We’ll be trapped!” 

The red-eyed wolf ignores her. She has no time to get off his back before he reaches the riverside and jumps over the raging stream of water. A scream tumbles out of her mouth as she holds on to his neck for dear life. And after they land on the other side, she’s so overcome with relief that she lets out a little laugh. 

Rey sees their pursuers stopping dead on the other side of the river. They’re visibly wary of the rapid flows but they seem prepared to thrown themselves in the water to get to them.

“Stop, please,” she whispers into the dark wolf’s ear and this time, he complies. 

She gets off and calls out to the wolves on the other side, in the slight chance they can understand her, “I haven’t broken my promise. I’m going to the sorcerer to find a way to break his curse.” 

They don’t react, but she sees that they are no longer trying to cross the river. 

Rey turns to the black wolf. He seems calmer now. He steps closer and slips his big head under her arm, encouraging her to climb back on him. She does, and once she’s settled, she rewards him by scratching him between the ears. He eagerly pushes his head against her hand. Soon, she senses his muscles tighten and off they go.

She thought she’d have to walk several days to reach the mountain, but at the speed they’re traveling along the river, she thinks they’ll arrive before sunset. 

The ground grows steep and uneven, and soon the wolf has to jump from one rock to another to climb the side of the mountain. He stops when they reach a plateau. Here, the wind is cutting and Rey has to wrap her cape tightly around her. She spots an opening in the ground, big enough for her to get in but not for the wolf. 

Rey senses her companion’s disquiet and knows that it is the right place. She caresses his muzzle reassuringly then she takes a deep breath and slips into the crevice. Inside, she discovers a set of stairs that lead into the darkness. She swallows and begins her descent, her unease growing with every step. 

The stairs seem to go forever and she wonders if they won’t actually lead her to the underworld. A little light appears below and she rushes towards it, careful not to make a sound when she goes down the last few steps. 

Rey peers from behind the stone wall and has to choke back a gasp at what she sees. On the other side of the wall, there is a blood-red cave. Vials and jars and boxes and piles of books lie scattered around on the ground, and at the cave’s center sits an old frail man, hunched over a heavy leather-bound volume that rests on his knees. 

He wets his finger to turn the page and Rey thinks that he didn’t notice her until he says, “Show yourself, young girl.” 

His voice booms through the cave in complete contrast with his sickly demeanor. 

She steps forward, holding her rifle and asks in a tone she hopes confident, “Are you Snoke, the sorcerer?”

“And who might you be?” 

“I come from Alderaan.”

“Oh? So there are still people alive there? And what do you want?

He says it so casually that she starts shaking with anger. “You know what I want! I want you to lift the curse you cast on Alderaan.” 

“I did no such thing.” He shrugs.

“You deny it?” She scowls, her fingers clenching around her weapon. “Alderaan is perishing because of you!”

“You shouldn’t blame me. Blame your arrogant prince. It’s his fault that you suffer!” 

The old man seems amused by her shock. He goes on, “I’ll tell you what really happened. A year ago, he came with his men to the mountain to challenge me. I accepted, for I knew that even if he was young and strong, he was also foolish. We fought, him with his sword and me with my magic. And I confess that he proved quite the opponent.” 

The sorcerer’s eyes sparkle with excitement. 

“At one point, he even had me at his mercy. He had his blade against my neck when I told him that if he let me live, I would make him powerful, that I would turn him into the strongest being in all the land.” 

Rey feels herself crumble under the weight of such revelations. She wants to believe that it’s just lies, but she recalls the sadness in the prince’s eyes and realizes that it was because he was riddled with guilt. 

A single tear falls from her eye as she completes the tale, “And you turned him into a wolf.” 

“Yes! A befitting punishment, don’t you think?” 

“Please, forgive him,” she pleads, her voice breaking with emotion. “He’s suffered enough.” 

“You still take his defense? Even knowing that his hubris is the cause of all the misfortune that has befallen your city?”

“He’s made a mistake. He regrets it.”

“He has the soul of a tyrant!”

“He is no longer like that! Please. If not for him, then for the people of Alderaan.”

“You think that I care about you or your people?” 

Grunting in frustration, Rey lifts her rifle and points it at the sorcerer. 

“You’re threatening me with violence now. You are just like him,” he says calmly. 

“If we have to die, then you should die with us!” 

The sorcerer’s smile slowly fades and for once, she sees a hint of annoyance appear in his eyes. 

“All right! I’ll give you a challenge. If you can prove to me that he’s no longer selfish, than I’ll lift the curse.”

Rey flutters her eyelashes, surprised that Snoke would even consider giving her this chance. 

_ How can I prove such a thing?  _

She frowns as she ponders the answer. 

“Will you come with me?” she asks the old sorcerer, gesturing to the stairs. 

He smiles, visibly enjoying the situation, and he follows her, holding his arms behind his back. 

Rey welcomes the fresh air on her cheeks when she reaches the surface. She’s relieved to find the wolf waiting there. He bristles with anger when he sees the old sorcerer appear behind her and crouches, as if to pounce on a him. 

Snoke laughs. “He knows he can’t kill me. He still hopes I’ll free him from the curse.” 

“He could have killed  _ me _ , but he didn’t,” Rey reveals. 

“Hum?”

“He saved me. He defended me against his own!”

“So he took a liking to you,” the sorcerer ironizes. “That doesn’t prove he’s no longer selfish.” 

Rey’s shoulders sag with defeat. She looks at the wolf who keeps growling at the old man. 

_ What am I supposed to do?  _

“If you are so important to him, then perhaps, if he gives you up, it will show that he can make sacrifices.” 

“What?” Rey chokes. She already knows what he means, but still tries to deny it. 

“If the wolf kills you, right here, right now, I’ll lift the curse.”

Rey feels a wave a cold horror rush through her. She stares at Snoke, aghast. 

“Isn’t this why you came? To save him and your people?,” he taunts her. 

She trembles, everything in her rebelling at the thought of sacrificing herself. She looks up to the sky. The sun hasn't set yet, but the moon has already appeared. It is bright, brighter than usual, and Rey smiles at it, knowing that she can save the man she loves. 

She walks towards the wolf and kneels down to slip her arms around his neck. Nuzzling her face in his fur, she whispers to him, “I hope you’ll be able to forgive yourself, because  _ I  _ forgive you.” 

A shuddered breath comes out of her chest as she lets go of him. Slowly, she steps towards the edge of a precipice then turns to face the wolf. “Go ahead! Push me!” She imagines it’s a better way to go then letting him eat her. 

The wolf winces, then turns his gaze towards the sorcerer who watches with a smile. 

“Please, you have to do it,” she spurs him, even though she wants to live, her tears blown away by the wind. 

When she sees the wolf launch himself forward, she shuts her eyes and braces herself for the imminent fall, but it never comes. Instead, she hears the sound of an impact and when she opens her eyes, she witnesses the wolf seizing the shocked sorcerer by the neck and hurling them both over the precipice.

Rey watches, powerless, as the bodies of Snoke and the wolf plummet down until they’re swallowed by the fog. 

An old wound reopens in her heart. And this time, she thinks it will never heal. 

The sound of her sobs echoes against the stone as she climbs down the side of the mountain as quickly as she can. When she spots the inert body of the prince lying on a rock , she lets herself slide and painfully land on her feet. 

He is no longer a wolf. The curse has been broken, but it brings her no solace. She falls on her knees and with a trembling hand, reaches to touch his cold face. She collapses on top of him. All her resolve, all her force have left her. She doesn’t know if she has the strength to go on. 

The feel of his fingers brushing her arms is like a beam of light cutting through the darkness. 

“Rey,” he murmurs and, bewildered, she snaps her head up to see his face. 

He smiles, tenderly, and tears of joy spring from her eyes. 

“You’re alive! You’re  _ alive _ !” She keeps touching his face, as if to make sure that it isn’t a dream. 

Rey helps him get on his feet then supports him while they descend the rest of the mountain. They walk along the river, back to where the hut is. The night air makes him shiver and she holds him close to warm him up. 

At dawn, they take a rest. They are sitting by the water when they spot the prince’s men observing them from the other side of the river. Among them is Hux and as Rey meets his gaze, he nods at her before he disappears with his companions into the woods. 

“We have to go back to Alderaan and tell the people the woods are safe again,” Rey declares eagerly. 

“I can’t go back. Not yet” the prince says, quietly.

Pensively, she gnaws her lower lip. Although she wants to protest, she understands that he needs time before he can face his people and his mother again. “Then I’ll go deliver the news and come back as quickly as I can.”

“You don’t have to.

“I want to!” she exclaims, then turns bashful. “That is—if you want me to stay with you.” 

The prince cradles her face and makes her look into his wistful eyes. “There’s nothing I would want more than to be with you, Rey.”

“Ben.” She murmurs, then she leans forward and kisses him. 


End file.
